After hearing reports of ducks and geese moving in late last week and the news we were pumping water, I spent Sunday afternoon checking on a few of my hunting spots. Drove north of Lonoke to Carlisle to Geridge (east of Humnoke). No real news in terms of water as it was scarce but various farms around the area are pumping up their fields. Where there was water, there were ducks. There just isn’t much water but that will change in the next week to ten days as more pumps get up and running.
At Geridge, we had two fields with water so far and I was impressed with the number of ducks and specks at 2 P.M. on an 80 degree day. A true mixed bag of waterfowl with mallards, gadwalls, pintails and spoonbills all actively eating in the cut bean field’s sheet water. There were probably 200-300 specks loaded up the far west end of the field where water was just now starting to puddle up.
I expected to see more snow geese as they usually get here early and don’t require water levels like the other species. Didn’t see a single snow goose during my Sunday drive.
With normal for this time of year temps on the way later this week and some rain, hopefully Arkansas can get the habitat right to hold some birds for the opener. Can’t imagine what they will find south of us to hold them so odds are whatever migrates past us now will move back up here at some point.
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